Quantifying cerebral hypoxia by near-infrared spectroscopy tissue oximetry: the role of arterial-to-venous blood volume ratio

Tissue oxygenation estimated by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a volume-weighted mean of the arterial and venous hemoglobin oxygenation. In vivo validation assumes a fixed arterial-to-venous volume-ratio (AV-ratio). Regulatory cerebro-vascular mechanisms may change the AV-ratio. We used hypotension to investigate the influence of blood volume distribution on cerebral NIRS in a newborn piglet model. Hypotension was induced gradually by inflating a balloon-catheter in the inferior vena cava and the regional tissue oxygenation from NIRS ( rStO 2 , NIRS ) was then compared to a reference ( rStO 2 , COX ) calculated from superior sagittal sinus and aortic blood sample co-oximetry with a fixed AV-ratio. Apparent changes in the AV-ratio and cerebral blood volume (CBV) were also calculated. The mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) range was 14 to 82 mmHg. PaCO 2 and SaO 2 were stable during measurements. rStO 2 , NIRS mirrored only 25% (95% Cl: 21% to 28%, p < 0.001 ) of changes in rStO 2 , COX . Calculated AV-ratio increased with decreasing MABP (slope: ? 0.007 · mmHg ? 1